The Latest Greenhouse Colorful Bell Pepper Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial
Colorful bell pepper is a very distinctive solanaceous vegetable, named for its bright, multi-colored appearance. Its original distribution area was from Mexico to Colombia and other places, and now it is commonly cultivated in countries around the world. It is bright in color, sweet in taste, crisp in texture, and rich in nutrients, and is widely welcomed by the market. Its cultivation economic value is very high, and its yield-increasing potential is great. Now let us take a look at greenhouse colorful bell pepper cultivation techniques!
Colorful Bell Pepper Variety Selection
For colorful bell pepper varieties, choose indeterminate-growth-type varieties specially used for greenhouses. At present, the varieties commonly used in production and relatively mature in cultivation include Ousheng Chaomai red colorful bell pepper, Ousheng Huangyongzhen yellow colorful bell pepper, Zigui Ren purple colorful bell pepper, Bai Gongzhu white colorful bell pepper, Juxiya orange colorful bell pepper, etc. After many years of cultivation and selection in protected northern greenhouses, these varieties have strong adaptability to greenhouse production, great yield potential, and good quality and coloring.
Colorful Bell Pepper Sowing and Seedling Raising
1. Seedling raising time: Greenhouse colorful bell peppers can be sown in all four seasons, but mid-to-late July to late December is preferable. Sowing too early leads to severe disease, while sowing too late makes it difficult to build a high-yield framework before the severe winter during the period when light and temperature are both relatively good. In addition, colorful bell pepper seeds are expensive, and the seedling raising period is long. Raising seedlings in winter also occurs in the cold low-temperature season, making seed rot, seedling death, and stiff seedlings very likely. It is required to raise seedlings in greenhouses using heated and insulated seedbeds and nutrient bags.
2. Seedling substrate: Use materials with strong fertilizer and water diffusion capacity (such as peat, leaf mold, etc.), add 0.4% compound fertilizer, 1% calcium superphosphate, and 0.01% carbendazim, mix thoroughly, then put into plastic nutrient bags with a diameter of 8-10 cm, water thoroughly, and then sow.
3. Seed treatment: Before sowing colorful bell peppers, seed treatment is required. After soaking the seeds in warm water at 55°C for 30 minutes, wrap them in clean gauze to keep them warm and promote sprouting. During the sprouting period, maintain the temperature at 25°C, rinse and turn them with warm water every day, and sow after the seeds show white sprouts. Sow one seed per nutrient bag, and cover with 0.5 cm of soil after sowing.
4. Post-sowing management: Place the nutrient bags on the seedbed inside the greenhouse and maintain 25-30°C. After emergence, maintain 20-30°C during the day and 15-18°C at night. From 7-10 days before transplanting, carry out low-temperature hardening, around 20°C during the day and 13-15°C at night. Water the nutrient bags according to conditions, keeping the substrate alternately dry and moist. At the 2-4 leaf stage, apply compound fertilizer 2-3 times along with watering, 8-10 kg per mu each time, and spray 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate as a foliar fertilizer every 3-4 days. During the colorful bell pepper seedling stage, create an environment with sufficient light so that the seedlings grow strong.
Colorful Bell Pepper Field Planting Techniques
1. Land preparation and fertilization: Colorful bell pepper roots grow slowly and have poor regeneration ability, so they need a deep, loose, and fertile soil environment. Before land preparation, apply 4-5 tons of decomposed farmyard manure per mu, 40 kg of calcium superphosphate, 50 kg of compound fertilizer, 50 kg of potassium sulfate, and 4 kg each of zinc sulfate and borax. Turn them into the soil layer through deep plowing, then break up the clods and carry out fine land preparation.
2. Bed making and planting: After the land is leveled, make the bed surface 1.1 m wide, with a required ditch width of 40 cm and depth of 30 cm. According to the double-row planting requirement of 40-45 cm plant spacing and 80 cm row spacing, plant 1500-1800 plants per mu. Transplant after 3 p.m. When planting, the seedling clod should be 1 cm lower than the soil surface. It is required to plant large and small seedlings separately for easy management.
3. Field planting management: After planting, water thoroughly to settle the roots. Within 3-5 days after transplanting, water in the morning and evening to ensure survival. After the pepper seedlings survive, water according to soil moisture conditions. Within 15 days after transplanting, roll up the side films on both sides of the greenhouse every morning after 9 a.m. in time for ventilation and cooling, and after 5 p.m. lower and cover the rolled-up side films to ensure that the nighttime temperature can meet the needs of pepper survival and rooting. After 15 days, the rolled-up side films do not need to be lowered again. If the temperature drops, strengthen insulation measures and do not roll up the films on both sides of the greenhouse again, which would cause the temperature inside the greenhouse to drop. It must be ensured that the temperature inside the greenhouse is not lower than 10°C, so as to meet the needs of colorful bell pepper growth and development.
Colorful Bell Pepper Cultivation Management
1. Reasonable watering: After colorful bell peppers survive field planting, water appropriately. When the first fruit first appears, begin watering and topdressing. During the flowering and fruiting period, keep the soil moist. According to the degree of soil moisture, water once every 5-10 days. When the temperature is low, water on sunny mornings; when the temperature is high, switch to watering in the evening. Dry conditions and high temperatures inside the greenhouse will affect colorful bell pepper flowering and fertilization, causing flower drop. At this time, pay attention to watering to cool down and increase humidity. It is required to maintain the relative soil water content at 60-70%.
2. Timely fertilization: During the colorful bell pepper seedling stage, apply strong seedling fertilizer, 5-10 kg of compound fertilizer or urea per mu. During the early fruiting stage, apply fruit-setting fertilizer, 20 kg of compound fertilizer or urea per mu. After that, topdress about once every 20 days, each time using 15-20 kg of compound fertilizer per mu diluted with water and applied. In the middle and late fruit-harvesting stages, spray a foliar fertilizer of 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate plus 0.1-0.2% zinc sulfate once every 7-10 days.
2. Temperature management: The suitable temperature for colorful bell pepper growth is 20-25°C during the day and 15-20°C at night. When the greenhouse temperature is below 10°C or above 35°C, pollination is difficult, and flower and fruit drop are likely to occur. The air humidity requirement is 70%. At midday during the day, when sunlight is sufficient and the temperature is high, cover with a shade net to cool down. When the outside temperature rises, gradually increase ventilation to help it pass the summer safely.
3. Pruning and vine hanging: Select and retain 2 strong main branches per plant. Remove the first pepper flower bud and basal side buds in time. Begin retaining peppers from the 4th-5th node, mainly relying on the main branches for fruiting. Remove side branches in time afterward. Middle side branches can be pinched after retaining 1 fruit. It is required that each plant always maintain 2 branches growing upward. Generally, no hilling is done. Fix each main branch by hanging it with 1 anti-aging plastic string.
4. Flower and fruit thinning: Colorful bell peppers have strong branching ability. Before flowering, carry out branch pruning, and remove side branches that grow out in time. During the growth period, thin flowers and fruits in time. Do not retain the first pepper; retain fruits alternately, leaving one fruit per fork, and remove all other flowers and fruits, ensuring that each plant bears no more than 6 fruits at the same time, so as to facilitate fruit expansion. Remove old, yellow, and diseased leaves at the lower part in time, so that nutrients are concentrated and light conditions are improved.
5. Timely harvesting: After colorful bell pepper fruits stop expanding and change color, harvest them in time. Harvesting is required in the morning. When harvesting, remove the entire fruit stalk and do not leave a stalk in the leaf axil.